Just Take My Heart
by SuicideKitten
Summary: <html><head></head>A yaoi story about Yuugi and Jounouchi.  Set in the manga, this story revolves around Jounouchi's problems with his abusive, alcoholic father and two best friends who find love and happiness in the midst of tragedy.  More chapters to come.</html>


One day, Yuugi and Jounouchi were walking home from school together like they did on any other day. However, today would be different. The entire walk, Yuugi had been lost in thought. He kept thinking about the day that he, Honda and Anzu went Jou's house looking for him. He kept thinking about the harsh yell of Jou's alcoholic father and how terrified he was when that beer bottle crashed into the door. Yuugi knew nothing of Jou's homelife except for that solitary experience, but he figured the reality was probably worse than anything he could imagine. Yuugi had wanted to say _something_ for weeks now, but only today gathered up enough to courage to follow through. They stopped off at Yuugi's door; this was usually where Jounouchi said his goodbyes.

"Well, thanks for listening to me yammer on about the changes to my deck, Yuug."

"Oh, um, sure," Yuugi said, distant. "Umm, Jou, I-I j-just wanted to let you know, if you ever want to, _get away_, you can, umm, stay with me anytime you want."

"Get away from what?"

"Y-your father," Yuugi trailed off, embarrassed that he may have crossed a line.

Jou looked down at his shoes for a moment. He didn't appreciate pity. He learned a long time ago to depend on himself and not to show any signs of weakness. "Heh, thanks for the offer Yuugi, but I think you exaggerated the situation in your head. It's not that bad. I mean, my old man's got some issues but, I can take care of myself."

"I didn't mean to imply-" Yuugi faltered, "I mean, I just wanted-, I just meant, you can stay with me whenever you want, f-for any reason."

Jou looked into Yuugi's huge desperate eyes. He realized in that moment that this wasn't pity. Yuugi was his friend, his concerned friend. The truth was, Jou's situation _was_ pretty bad. Over the years he had learned to handle his father's rage, yet he still spent most of his afternoons at the Arcade, until closing time. Even then, he'd usually take a walk around the block a few times just to be sure his father was passed out by the time he got home. Also, he'd wake up very early every morning to ensure he'd be out the door before his father woke up. Jou thought to himself that a break would be nice and the offer of a sleep-over was something he thought died out years ago, but Yuugi was special. He'd managed to maintain this incredible childish innocence and Jou found that both intimidating and refreshing. "Well, uhh, I guess I wouldn't mind hanging out for a bit. If you promise we can have a duel or two."

"You're on!"

The boys raced each other upstairs and spent the whole night locked away playing Duel Monsters and various other games Yuugi had stored away in his collection. Before they realized, it was nearly two in the morning and long past time for bed. The next day went by in a blur. They agreed that the previous night had been so much fun that Jounouchi would sleep-over again.

"Hey Grandpa, we're home!"

"Yuugi! Don't you want to eat somethin-" The door slammed promptly behind them.

The afternoon started again with a few rousing rounds of Duel Monsters. A few hours -and duels- into their time together, Jounouchi realized something. "I think this is the happiest I've ever been."

"What?" Yuugi didn't mean to sound so surprised, but he was.

"I mean it, Yuugi, these past two days, just, hanging out with you. I feel different. I guess it's gonna sound weird no matter how I say it but I just feel, safe, and happy."

A smile overcame Yuugi's bright face. "That's great, Jou! I'm really happy too. I guess you went to a lot of sleep-overs when you were younger, but I never had any friends, so this is new for me. I feel different too. I-I t-think you're my b-best friend."

"You bet, and I always will be," Jou said as he sat next to Yuugi on his bed. "Thank you for everything. Thanks for always being there for me."

"Your welcome, but it's the least I can do. You've saved my life more times than I can count."

"There are different ways to save a person's life. I'm tough, I've been your muscle a few times, sure, but you've done something so much more powerful for me. You gave me inner strength. You saved me. I always thought I would just end up like my useless father, but you, you believed in me." Without realizing what he was doing, Jou leaned in and kissed Yuugi. "Oh man," Jou jumped off the bed, "I, uh, I'm so sorry Yuug, I have no idea what came over me. Man, I must be going crazy or something. You probably hate me. I'm sorry, I don't know what's wrong with-"

"That was my, first kiss," Yuugi said slowly, stunned by this turn of events.

"Oh, Yuugi. I am so sorry. I can't believe I, I can't believe I took that away from you. I am such a moron. I want to die, I'm so embarrassed. Do you want me to leave?"

Yuugi's eyes were wide and he was very still. He stayed that was for a few moments before he responded to Jou's desperate pleas. "I, well, no, I don't want you to leave."

"Yuugi, you're being nice, but you must be furious, aren't you?"

"Well, I, w-why did you kiss me?"

Jou's eyes instantly darted back to his shoes. He had no idea why he kissed Yuugi. They were talking and suddenly this uncontrollable urge came over him. What he really didn't want to admit though, was that he liked it. "I don't know. Like I said, I must be crazy. Why aren't you mad? You should be pissed at me."

"I don't know, I guess, I kind of, liked it?" Instantly, Yuugi questioned revealing this to Jou. Yuugi was feeling so many emotions he couldn't keep track. All he knew, was that when Jou's lips touched his, something awoke inside him.

"Y-you did?" Jou said with astonishment. "But are you," Jou trailed off but the implication was clear.

"No! Are you?"

"No, I always liked girls, it's just, this one time. I don't know, something just feels-"

"Different," Yuugi said finishing the sentence. And it was true for both of them. Somehow in the midst of compassion and fun, understanding and friendship, they found something new. They found each other. Yuugi looked up into Jou's determined eyes with a mixture of fear and excitement. Neither of them knew what they were doing or what the consequences would be, but in that moment they were perfect and their intentions were pure. Jou leaned in again, only this time knowing full well what he was doing. They both gave into the complete reckless abandon offered by the privacy of Yuugi's room. Jou's strong lips embraced Yuugi's in a passionate kiss. Yuugi instinctively laid backward onto his bed and Jou followed suit. As their bodies collapsed into one another a rush of energy flowed from their lips throughout their entire bodies. Jou made the bold move of gently easing his tongue into Yuugi's soft lips and as their tongues danced around each other, fireworks exploded in their hearts. They spent the whole night on that bed caressing each other softly. Jou would run his hands through Yuugi's thick spikey hair as Yuugi ran his fingers back and forth along the small of Jou's back.

There were no thoughts going through their minds, only feelings.

The next morning came and they awoke, entangled in one another. Neither of them knew what to say. The previous night was like a beautiful dream, but in the harsh reality of daylight, things took a different tone.

"We should talk. You know, about, what happens from here," Jou said in an unsure tone.

"I know," Yuugi said, disappointed that the fantasy was over. "But, I don't know what to say. We're still friends, right?"

"Of course," Jou said firmly, without hesitation. "We'll always be friends, best friends. I just, I don't know what came over us last night. I mean, we can't actually continue this. It would be too embarrassing, wouldn't it?" Jou was terrified that Yuugi had changed his mind about what happened.

Yuugi wondered if Jou regretted last night. "I guess," he said, "I mean, we're not supposed to like each other, like that. I guess we could just go back to being friends and just think of this as an experience that brought us . . . closer."

"That's it! That's why this happened! We're just such good friends and it was just too hard to express what we were feeling in words and things just got out of control," Jou said in a relieved tone that there was an explanation for what happened. "Okay," he said with a heavy sigh, "let's get ready for school."

For Yuugi, this particular school day felt longer than any previous one ever had. He tried to focus on school work, he tried to focus on games, he even tried to focus on Anzu's breasts, but nothing worked. He couldn't stop thinking about what happened. He felt guilty for what he was feeling, but he couldn't suppress the passion that was growing inside him. Yuugi was starring at a math problem, but his mind was drifting obstinately to Jounouchi's moist lips. The chapters of Yuugi's History book brought him to Jou's brooding, penetrative eyes. Anzu talking about her dreams of America brought thoughts of Jou's strong cheekbones and his wild blonde hair. It didn't make any sense, but it was clear to Yuugi that -for him, at least- this was not over.

Jou and Yuugi did not walk home from school that day. As the last bell rang, Yuugi looked everywhere for his friend and eventually gave up, feeling shame as he walked home alone. However, there was a surprise waiting for him when he reached his front door. Jounouchi was standing there, smiling.

"Jounouchi," Yuugi exclaimed, unable to contain his relief and excitement. "I tried to find you after school. Why are you here?"

"My last class let out early and I didn't feel like loitering around the school, but I couldn't go home without saying goodbye. Sorry you had to walk home by yourself."

"It's okay, I just, I thought you were mad at me."

"Me? Yuugi, I could never be mad at you. Besides, the whole mess was my fault. Anyway, I can't stay. I really should get home and make sure my old man didn't burn the house down or something. See ya, buddy," Jou said and rubbed Yuugi's head as he passed.

Yuugi walked upstairs slowly. He sat on his bed starring out the window for a few hours. He realized that what happened was a mistake and what he was feeling was coming from a place of confusion. He decided as he laid down for bed, that he would never think of Jounouchi that way again.

Jounouchi could hear the television blasting from the stairs leading up to his apartment. The front door was cracked open. Jou had a sick feeling in his stomach as he entered the apartment. Immediately, his father barked at him, "Where the fuck have you been? I'm out of cigarettes and beer. Get your sorry ass down to the store, now!"

"Yes sir," Jou said begrudgingly. He knew how to hold his own against his father, but he preferred to avoid a situation whenever possible.

"And pick me up some Goddamned lottery tickets too. One day I'll win, and get out of this shit-hole."

Jounouchi had been buying his father these things for years with a fake I.D. His father couldn't leave the apartment because of his gambling debts. Right now they didn't know where he was hiding out, but if they found him, they would kill him without hesitation.

Jounouchi returned to the apartment with a carton of Marlboro's, a case of beer and a handful of quick pick tickets. He laid the bag next to his father's recliner. His father tore open the carton and had a cigarette out of its pack and in his mouth in no time. "Got a light?"

Jounouchi handed him a lighter off the kitchen counter.

"When are you going to become a man and start smoking like your dad?"

"I'm only fifteen," Jou replied calmly.

"Yeah, whatever. S'that why you can't get a damn job?"

"Umm, yes," Jou said in an exasperated tone. "I have to go to school."

"I'm sick of your fucking excuses. You're useless. You've always been a useless waste. That's why your mother left. She left because of her disappointment of a son."

The fact was, Jou's mother had left, many years ago and took Jou's sister with her. His father wasn't always a bad guy. Jou could still vaguely remember a father who was kind and funny, but that man was long gone. When Jou was only five his father got into bad gambling debt and from there, everything went downhill. He started drinking all the time and moving the family from place to place in order to hide from his creditors. When he finally became abusive, Jou's mother fled. Jounouchi always wondered why she left him behind. Maybe she knew he could take care of himself. Then again, Jou always believed in his heart what his father said. Maybe she left him in that Hell because she was disappointed in him. The beatings started small, but after she left, they got worse. For many years, Jou would come home from school and it was the same story every day. His father would tell him to take off his shirt and lay across the ottoman on his stomach. Most days he would beat Jou with his belt or his fists. Some days he'd use a cane. Then there were the bad days, when his father would use a thick, heavy metal pipe he kept locked away in the closet. After that, Jou would have to miss days of school to recover. Finally, Jou grew up, learned how to fight and got tough. He fought his father back a few times and won. Eventually, his father just left him alone, realizing Jou was too strong.

"Hey, come on. I'm just kidding. Why don't you come here and give your Pop a hug?"

Jounouchi stood frozen for a moment. He was stunned by the request. This was the first nice thing his father had said in years, and the first time he wanted to hug Jou since he was five. Jou timidly leaned forward, not trusting his father's intentions. Jou put one arm around his father's back and was leaning in with the other when his father grabbed him by the wrist with one hand, and with the other hand jammed the lit cigarette deep into Jounouchi's arm. He screamed in pain. His father grabbed Jou's other wrist and held him there, the cigarette embedding in his skin, burning a deep hole in the flesh of his forearm.

"Why?" Jounouchi cried out. "Why?"

"Because you need to learn a lesson. I haven't been able to teach you a lesson in a long time, but I could tell you were distracted today, off your guard. I'm going to teach you not to abandon me for two fucking days, you little bitch." Jou's father dragged him by the wrists into the bedroom. He ripped Jou's shirt from his back and walked to the closet. Jou quickly pulled the cigarette from his skin and clutched the scalded area. Suddenly, Jou felt a sharp pain in the back of his head and everything got blurry. His father had struck him in the back of the head with a beer bottle. Jou felt his father roll his limp body over onto his belly. His senses were numb, but deep down he knew what was coming. He winced in excruciating pain as that first cold, iron blow came down on his back. His father laughed as he beat his son. "You think you're stronger than me, you mother-fucker? Well, look at you now! You know what they say, spare the rod, spoil the child." The pain was unbearable. Jou felt his body swelling and bruising. Finally, his father stopped. The metal pipe was caked in blood. But his father wasn't done. He flipped Jou over and punched him hard in the face. He got in two hits before Jou could summon the energy to put his hand in front of his face, as he blocked the next few blows. "Meh. You'll never be _anything _more than my punching bag. Don't let your little faggot friends tell you any different. You're useless. You're nothing." And with that, his father sauntered back into the living room and plopped back in his recliner. Jou waited in pain until he was sure his father had fallen asleep. He struggled desperately to pull himself up and hobbled into his room. He grabbed his backpack and his luggage and stuffed if full of everything he could grab as quickly as he could and silently tip-toed down the hallway. Once he was out of the apartment, he ran. The pain was intense, but he was running on pure adrenaline. He had to get away. Before he knew it, he was standing in front of Yuugi's house. Not wanting to wake up the whole neighborhood, he grabbed some pebbles and tossed them, one by one, at Yuugi's window. Finally, Yuugi popped his head out.

"Jounouchi!" He exclaimed in an excited whisper. "What are you doing here? What time is it?"

"Please, Yuugi, can I come in?"

"Of course," Yuugi said. His tone was happy because in the moonlight he was unable to see Jounouchi's broken body. Once they entered his room and he turned on the light, Yuugi saw why Jou had come. He had a black eye and a cut over his right eyebrow. "J-jounouchi, wh-what happened to you?"

Jounouchi could not speak. He could not look Yuugi in the eyes. He just stood there, silent. Jou had been harshly taught from a young age that he had to be a man; show no emotion, show no weakness, but in this moment, the lesson was quickly fading from his mind. Yuugi stood there, patiently, examining his friend. He reached out and took Jounouchi's hand in his. At this, Jou dropped to his knees and buried his face in Yuugi's chest. He lost all control and the tears began to flow. His hands crept up and clung to the back of Yuugi's shirt as he sobbed for all the beatings, all the years of abuse, all the harsh words. Yuugi gently stroked Jou's hair as he cried, but said nothing. This went on for nearly thirty minutes. Eventually, Jou composed himself and stood up.

"Well, I guess you want to know everything," Jou said timidly.

Yuugi paused. "I'm here to listen to as much or as little as you want to tell me. I understand there are things you might not want me to know."

Again, Jounouchi lost it. Gulping back his tears he said, "That's just it, Yuugi. I want you to know everything. The whole day, all I could think about was you. I'm sorry. I know we decided to forget the whole thing and move on, but I can't. Maybe it's wrong and disgusting and unnatural, but I love you. I love you and I love touching you and kissing you and I want you to know me and I want to know you." Jounouchi was filled with shame and embarrassment, but he could barely feel it over the throbbing pain in his back. Then, he noticed, Yuugi was smiling. "Why are you smiling?"

"Because I'm relieved to hear you say everything you just said. I love you too and I thought about nothing but you all day," Yuugi said, feeling more confident than he'd ever felt before.

"Are you just saying that because I'm injured, because really, it's not that bad. You can be honest."

"No, Jou, I'm serious," Yuugi said, as he reached out and caressed Jou's cheek. "I don't care what people think. I mean, no one even has to know. Either way, it doesn't matter, but I need you. I know now that I need you, in a deeper way. I still have no clue what that means, but we can worry about that later. For now, let's just be happy."

Jou smiled. The pain he was feeling subsided and was replaced by the overwhelming feeling of electricity pulsating through him. Jou grabbed Yuugi by the hip and pulled his body into him. Their eyes locked for a brief moment before they engaged in a long passionate kiss. Yuugi's soft lips moved in perfect harmony with Jou's. Their wet tongues tickled each other playfully. Yuugi bit gently at Jounouchi's lower lip. Jou grabbed Yuugi by the hair ran his tongue along Yuugi's neck, up to his ear. The passion escalated and soon they were groping each others bodies over their clothes.

"Wait, stop," Yuugi said as he pulled away. "I don't want to move too fast."

"Don't worry," Jou said as he leaned back in, "neither do I."

Yuugi gently pushed him back. "No Jou, I mean it. Last night, I had my first kiss, and it was with a boy. That's not exactly what I thought my first kiss would be. I'm happy, don't get me wrong, but it's a lot to handle. Also, I'm not even sure what else we're supposed to do beyond kissing. I'm not, experienced, like you."

"Well," Jou said, "I don't exactly have experience in the boy department either, but," he paused as a devious expression crossed his face, "I have some ideas. Yuugi, I'm your own personal bodyguard. You have to know that I would never do anything to hurt you. We can take it as slow as you want and you never have to do anything you don't want to, but, it's like you said, let's just be happy."

"I trust you, Jou, but, I'm scared. You've been with women before, but, this is all new for me."

"I want to see you naked."

"What?" Yuugi said, shocked. "I just said I want to take things slow. I c-can't get naked."

"I promise," Jou began, "we won't _do_ anything, but I told you, I want to _know_ you and I want you to _know_ me. Besides, this is the first step. We can't really know how far this will go unless we jump in."

"But," Yuugi paused, "you won't like my body. I'm small and weak."

"Yuugi, I _love_ you. Do you understand that? Like you said, I've done a lot of things with women. I've only ever been attracted to women, until now. I want you. I want to love _all of you_, but I can't, until I've _seen_ all of you. Please."

"Why don't I try to get Other Yuugi to come out? He's more appealing than I am, that's why Anzu likes him. You don't want to see me."

"No," Jou said firmly. "I want to see _you._ I don't want anything to do with Other Yuugi. Look, I could go first if you want. Do you want to see me?"

"I," Yuugi hadn't thought things through this far, "I don't know." Yuugi took a deep breath and let it out slowly as he moved his eyes up and down Jounouchi, taking him in piece by piece. Those wonderful chills began running back and forth along his spine. "Yes," he said confidently. "You go first."

Jounouchi stood slowly and moved so that he was standing right in front of Yuugi's prying eyes. He noticed how terrified and intrigued Yuugi looked and realized he was nervous. He'd fooled around with girls before and never had any complaints, but Jou realized, this was more important than any of those silly girls ever were. He didn't let any of this show on his face though. He stood, confidently and slowly removed his school jacket. Then he slid his hands to his neck and slowly unbuttoned each button on his white shirt. He slipped it off his body and let it fall from his hand in a clump on the floor.

"Turn around," Yuugi uttered in a commanding tone. Jou obliged, delighted to see a new side of Yuugi. Yuugi stood and walked toward Jou. He gently slid his delicate hands down Jou's swollen, bruised back. "You should let me take care of this. It needs ice."

"Later," Jou sighed in an exasperated tone. "We're doing this now or never. I need to know what it feels like to see you, fully." In a successful attempt to add some extra sex appeal, Jou put his hands on his chest and slid them slowly toward his belt. He undid the buckle and pulled the belt through each loop. He took extra care as he unbuttoned and unzipped his pants. Yuugi suddenly felt aroused. This surprised him, somehow. He realized this is what Jou meant about "needing to know." Before, there was stimulation and his eyes were closed, but this moment was pure. Yuugi's eyes were wide open and there was nothing but Jou's naked body standing in front of him. Yuugi suddenly wished he'd gone first as the embarrassing thought of standing naked with an erection crept into his mind. "Well," Jou said, "what do you think?"

"It's nice, I mean, you're nice, I mean," Yuugi stumbled through his sentence, "Y-you look good." As soon as he said it, he realized how stupid he sounded, but it didn't really seem to matter. Jou had this knowing smirk on as he assumed his seat for the viewing.

"Okay, Yuugi, do it just like I did." Yuugi obeyed. He followed all the steps, and soon he was standing in front of Jou, completely bare. His first instinct was to cover himself and hide, but Jou's eyes took on a peaceful tone as he drank in the picture of Yuugi. "You're perfect," Jou said simply. "Come closer." Yuugi took a few steps forward until he was standing as close to the bed as he could get, between Jou's open legs. "Close your eyes." Yuugi was trembling with anticipation. He was terrified, yet somehow he felt protected. Jou reached his hands up to the tip of Yuugi's pointy hair and ran them slowly down his back. He delicately caressed Yuugi's butt and thighs, down to his ankles and then ran his hands back up the front of his legs, over the knees, over his erect penis, up his stomach, his chest, his face. At this, Yuugi opened his wide eyes and sank forward into Jou. Their lips met and resumed their previous state. Jou kept his word. He did nothing more than hold Yuugi's soft body in this arms as they kissed. Yuugi's hands fondled their way over Jou's fractured body. As he felt the knots and cuts he remembered his mission to care for his friend.

"Stop," Yuugi said, "we have to take care of your wounds." Jounouchi stared up pleasantly, without objection. Yuugi threw a towel around his waist and ran downstairs. He filled a plastic bag with ice and got some Neosporin and Aloe Vera from the bathroom. As quickly as he could, he returned to Jou and tended to his wounds. As Yuugi spread Aloe on the bruises and Neosporin in the cuts, they both realized that this connection was more than skin deep. They may have both been straight, but sometimes love is so strong that it transcends sexual boundaries. Yuugi carefully moved the ice pack around for an hour, never leaving it too long in any one spot. Jou felt truly looked after, for the first time in his life. Outside, the sun was rising. Yuugi ran downstairs and told his grandfather about Jou's injuries. Yuugi got permission to stay home from school to take care of him. They spent the rest of the day, lying naked in bed. Jou's head in Yuugi's lap, Yuugi's arms resting in his chest. Neither one could sleep. They stayed awake all morning, talking. When they ran out of subjects they resumed kissing. Eventually, they fell asleep, arms and legs entwined.

Luckily, the next day brought the weekend. Jou and Yuugi woke up and took a shower together. Yuugi lovingly cleansed Jou's back. Afterward, they laid back down in bed. Every time they thought they'd discussed every subject they could a new one would arise. Jou told Yuugi every detail of his sordid family history. Yuugi told Jou about all the years he spent as an outcast. He admitted that sometimes his loneliness got the better of him and he had given up on ever finding friendship.

"Yuugi, I know we said we would take things slow," Jou began, "but, you've taken such good care of me. I want to take care of you."

"What do you mean?"

Jou paused. "Do you trust me?"

Yuugi didn't know what to say. He was quivering again. All of this was so new and scary. He didn't understand how Jou could be so calm and confident. "I don't know."

"I promise you'll enjoy it. I just want to do something nice for you."

Yuugi nodded. He had no idea what he was agreeing to, but he knew that Jounouchi could never hurt him. He felt safe and secure. Jou instructed him to close his eyes and lie completely still. Yuugi felt an incredible sensation as Jou's lips kissed his neck and made their way down to his collarbone. As he kissed, Jou ran his hands up and down Yuugi's sides. Jou's lips very slowly made their way down Yuugi's chest, stopping momentarily to tease his nipples ever so lightly. Yuugi's entire body was covered in goosebumps and he was more aroused than he had ever felt. At last, Jou's confident lips reached their destination. Jou secured his mouth around Yuugi's hard penis and embraced it fully. He moved his head up and down, stimulating Yuugi with his tongue as he went. With his right hand, he gently cupped Yuugi's balls, as his left hand made it's way up to Yuugi's mouth. Jou's fingers crept between Yuugi's lips and Yuugi sucked on his fingers as Jou continued sucking his hard member. Yuugi moaned in ecstasy. He never knew anything could feel so amazing. His body convulsed slightly as he came down Jou's willing throat. Words were unnecessary. The two of them enjoyed the precious silence as they reflected on what happened. They leapt head first into the next step and it was wonderful.


End file.
